‘We need 911’: Geauga dispatchers ready for anything
GEAUGA COUNTY, Ohio (WJW) – During the month of May, the Fox 8 I-Team is showcasing the heroic work of local dispatchers during a four-part series.
For part four, we went to Geauga County where we found the 16 dispatchers at the 9-1-1 center don’t ever have a slow day.
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Daily they are faced with life and death situations, which is something Dispatcher Ella Rhodes is extremely familiar with since she is also a firefighter.
Rhodes said her experience with both jobs helps. She tells us that recently she handled a call for a house fire. The caller was refusing to get out of the house without his wife and dog.
“The caller was very overwhelmed on the phone,” Rhodes said. “He didn’t realize his wife was already outside. So, we got him that information. He was also worried about the dog getting out and I said just leave the door open and call the dog from outside and he will come to you.”
Rhodes advice worked. The man got out and his dog did too.
“We are just prepared for anything,” said Carmen Centrackio, who just started with the department in September. She has already helped save one life.
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In March, Centrackio received a call about a woman not breathing. The caller frantic. Centrackio remained calm and was able to get the caller to start CPR on the woman.
“By the time the fire department got there she was breathing, yeah, that was a pretty big call,” Centrackio said. “And it was a sigh of relief on my end hearing the fire department say hey we are going to transport her, she’s ok.”
A dispatcher also recently helped a woman whose dog collapsed. Dispatchers have instructions to help callers provide CPR to their pets.
Geauga Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand says he is extremely proud of his dispatchers and wants the public to know they are ready and able to help when you need them most.
“There are so many times when you call for help and it always seems forever for anyone to get there,” the sheriff said. “Even if it’s only a few minutes, it seems long for the caller, and that dispatcher either is keeping them busy talking to them on what to do or is assisting them all the way until someone knocks on the door.”
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